


Neutrality's Price

by FrostfireEzreal



Series: Twilight Fading [1]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Angst, Death, Heavy Angst, Zed is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 05:26:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20353114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostfireEzreal/pseuds/FrostfireEzreal
Summary: As war tears through Ionia, Shen ascends the mountains around the Monastery in search for a spirit. Little did he know that the balance was to be disrupted- and by a man he once considered his brother.





	Neutrality's Price

**Author's Note:**

> I've taken Shen's really sad backstory and made it even worse. :)

The war raged on, tearing the once harmonious landscape into three factions. There was those who fought for Ionia’s freedom, those who wished to trample them into the ground, and then there were people who refrained from getting involved. 

Father had said this was not our fight, that it was our duty to maintain the balance between the mortal and spirit world. Outside the temple walls discord rampaged through the fields; the conflict upsetting the lives of mortal and immortal alike. Shen tried to bring this to his father’s attention, but the elder refused to address it. 

“We must not get involved, my son.” His father narrowed his gaze at the young ninja, his arms crossed; an intimidating aura swirling around him. “This is not our fight. Our responsibility is to maintain the balance between the two worlds and nothing more.”

Shen only nodded and hung his head, “Yes, father.”

And so while blood was being spilt upon the battlefield, Shen hiked the mountains north of the monastery in search of a spirit that had been frightened by the recent conflict. In its attempt to flee it had unknowingly crushed a neighboring village’s farmland. While the villagers demanded reparations from the spirit, Kusho was more concerned about its well being. And so the Eye of Twilight sent his son into the mountains to locate the being. 

Shen shivered against the bitter cold of the mountain and looked up towards the sky. The sun had long since passed yet he and the group of Kinkou he traveled with pressed on through the night, as the light of the full moon graciously guided them along the snowy incline. After a few more hours of trudging through the snow, one of the members grabbed Shen’s shoulder.

“Might I suggest we rest, Shen?” The spirit archer asked, gesturing to a flatter part of the mountain up ahead. 

Knowing the limits of his compatriots, Shen nodded. “That would be most wise.” He responded and made way towards the spot she pointed out. 

He oversaw the group setting up for the evening, building a small campfire to warm their hands and putting up the small tents they carried upon their backs. Shen stood before a ledge and looked off into the distance. From where he was he could see the flickering lights of the various villages located within the valley; the moon illuminating the lush evergreens that trailed down the mountain.

The night was silent, yet there was a whirlwind of thoughts thrashing around in his mind. The clashing of blades echoed across the open space, yet when he glanced about, it seemed he was the only one who could hear it. Visions of his peers being cut down; shadows dancing across the walls- Shen bit his lip, holding his head in his hands. Why was he seeing these visions? As they continued he started to feel sick to his stomach. 

Then suddenly a wave of panic hit him. His eyes shot open; those eyes, which were usually clouded over, radiated an intense light. The ninja fell to his knees, his heart racing, his body trembling. 

“Shen!” He heard one of the acolyte’s call out, hurried footsteps following soon after. One of the spirit mages knelt at his side, holding onto his shoulders to keep him upright. “What is wrong?”

As he opened his mouth to respond there was a flash before his eyes. Kusho deflecting a strike with his blade, his appearance bloodied and bruised; the room around him carved through. It was then he felt a sudden emptiness in his being. A sudden lack of balance. “We must head back- something is amiss.” 

The acolyte’s only nodded in response and immediately packed their things. They sprinted back down the mountain towards where their home lies within the trees, being wary of their surroundings and for what may be the source of the imbalance. 

What took them two days to climb they descended in half that time, and soon enough they were upon Kinkou grounds. As they approached the main gate they froze, the acolytes gasping at the horrific sight. The bodies of their brothers littered the ground along with ninja’s from a faction he had not recognized. Fresh sanguine coated the grass, weapons lay in or near their owners. However, this was no time to gawk and they knew this. Sounds of a struggle could still be heard within the temple, and so they readied their weapons and rushed in.

Within the main hall they encountered a handful of Kinkou fending off against some strangers. The spirit archer deftly let loose a few arrows, all hitting their targets. The acolyte’s within the monastery sighed in relief as their eyes met with Shen’s. Quickly assuming the leadership position, Shen ordered the Kinkou to split up and aid whoever they could find. Afterwards they were instructed to flee towards the mountains towards Puboe. They followed his orders without hesitation and they all split off into different directions.

The Ionian made a b-line to the courtyard at the center of the temple, knowing that it was the place his father most likely would have gone. The halls were shredded by claw-like blade’s, the walls splattered with dark crimson- he noticed that a portion was so dark it looked.. _Black_. More questions arose within his mind, driving him crazy as no answers had presented themselves. 

When he reached room leading to the courtyard he pressed himself against the wall and listened. He heard movement- but it was strange. It resembled a fine smoke that clung to the walls, the ground, the ceiling. It was _everywhere _and also _nowhere_. 

Slowly the ninja peeked past the door frame, but as he did so his heart immediately sank. Pressed up against the cherry blossom tree, the tree his mother had cared for her whole life, was the lifeless body of Kusho. His fiery red hair was down, disheveled and covering his face, and the spirit sword laid at his side. Whatever caution Shen had was thrown out the window as he sprinted towards the man. 

“Father!” He cried, clambering up to him. He held the man in his arms, pushing the hair out of his face only to reveal a pair of blank eyes. “No.. No! Father!” Shen leaned down, touching their foreheads. 

And for the first time since his mother’s death, he sobbed. His chest tightened, his body locked up. Again he had lost someone because of his inaction.

“S..Shen..”

The Ionian pulled back and saw his father’s eyes; tears welling up in the corners. 

“Father..!” Shen held him close, afraid to let go. 

“My son..” Kusho smiled, though it was weak. “I am sorry to leave you like this..” He reached up to hold his child’s face, hands trembling.

Shen took his fathers hand and leaned into his touch. “You will be fine, I will get you out of here-”

“Shen. I’m afraid my time is almost done..” Kusho coughed, spewing out dark crimson. “I suppose.. I deserve this.” He laughed, his voice fading out slightly. 

Shen looked to his father with a confusion expression. “What do you mean?”

“..It was Zed.”

He froze, unable to utter a word. But the elder began to cry, a sob caught in his throat as he continued to speak, “My.. My boys. I failed you both.”

Shen wanted to refute that; he wanted to scold his father for even thinking such a thing but nothing would pass his lips. Everything he wanted to say- there was just no time and he knew it.

“I love you, my son.. Know that I am so very proud.. Of you..”

Shen felt his father’s grip slacken. His heart began to race once more as he stared in shock. “_..Bà?_” 

No response. 

“**_Bà!_**” Shen screamed, pulling the broken body of his father closer to his own. 

And so he sat there cradling the lifeless figure underneath the cherry blossoms, the moon shining brightly upon the two; illuminating his pain. His sorrow. For the third time in his life he had lost someone because of his inability to act. 

And he wasn’t sure how much more his heart could take.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! If you like it please leave a kudo or a comment! I'd love to hear back from you <3


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